Announcement and Guidelines for participation in the Prize Competition L Astrofisica su Mediterranea by INAF Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica in collaboration with Progetto Mediterranea and UNIMED Premise L Astrofisica su Mediterranea is a project aimed at introducing Astrophysics to Physics and/or Astrophysics Bachelor s degree students. It is sponsored and supported by INAF in collaboration with Progetto Mediterranea and UNIMED. The key player and dissemination tool of the project is Mediterranea, a Mikado 56, 18-m ketch equipped with a cutter, that raised anchor in spring 2014 from San Benedetto del Tronto for a 5-year journey of about 20000 miles across the Mediterranean Sea. Organizers INAF, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (http://www.inaf.it), is the main Italian research organization for the study of the Universe. It promotes, carries out and coordinates research activities in Astronomy and Astrophysics, even within European Union programs and international organisms, both in collaboration with Universities and with other public and private, national and international organizations. INAF designs and plans innovative technologies and state-of-theart instruments for studying and exploring the Universe. It supports scientific dissemination with education projects in Astronomy devoted to school and general public. Progetto Mediterranea (www.progettomediterranea.com) is a nautical, cultural and scientific expedition: a sail boat and its crew traveling for 5 years across the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the northern Red Sea. Progetto Mediterranea is a project dedicated to the discovery of ideas and thinking in the most intellectually lively and rich area of the entire world; a journey devoted to the re-discovery of our deep and ancient bond with the sea. In other words, a scientific mission for monitoring and protecting the environment and studying the physical processes regulating the sea, the winds and the stars. UNIMED, the Mediterranean Universities Union, is a network of Universities from the countries of the Mediterranean area. Currently it counts 98 Universities coming from 24 countries. UNIMED s aim is to develop university research and education in the Euro-Mediterranean area in order to contribute to scientific, cultural, social and economic cooperation. UNIMED acts in different fields: tangible and intangible cultural heritage, economics, energy, environment, management
Purposes Eligible candidates of water resources, transports, health, media, new technologies, history, and tourism. L Astrofisica su Mediterranea aims at creating a cultural exchange among young students of Mediterranean areas through Astrophysics, as a tool of collaboration and sharing beyond any geographical boundary. Its objectives are: i) disseminating the astrophysical culture; ii) encouraging science transnationality and gathering of different cultures; iii) promoting scientific disciplines, INAF and analogous research organizations around the Mediterranean Sea. L Astrofisica su Mediterranea foresees that 5 Physics and/or Astrophysics Bachelor s degree students, selected on the basis of merit and accompanied by an INAF Tutor, are hosted for 1 week in the boat inside Progetto Mediterranea. This year the port of departure will be Favignana (Sicily) on the 3 rd of September, with return on the 10 th of September to the port of Trapani (Sicily). During the week, Mediterranea will be sailing around the Egadi Islands, and it will be stopping in natural harbors and ports. Starting from the traditional bond between astronomy and sailing, a series of lectures and field experiences will be offered to students. These lectures will give them the opportunity of connecting the groundings of astronomical sailing with modern GPS tools, and concepts of astrometry with the state-of-the-art astrophysical perception of the Universe. Astrophysical, sailing and meteorology lectures will take advantage of the interaction with INAF researchers and of direct sailing experience. Stopovers in harbours and close interaction with Mediterranean people will ensure a transnational experience and will bring young students closer to science and also to the different cultures around the Mediterranean Sea. Students will also have the possibility to take part in other cultural and scientific events of Progetto Mediterranea (meetings with writers and journalists, observation and research on marine and coastal flora and fauna, lectures on history of sailing, etc.), in the context of a close and informal cultural exchange aimed at highlighting similarities of common roots belonging to the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea (Mare Nostrum). All students enrolled in a Physics and/or Astrophysics Bachelor s degree course in European countries or countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea are eligible. Deadline The deadline for application submission is the 20 th of July 2017. Selected students will be notified by the end of July. Prerequisites Participation Eligible students must be enrolled in a Physics and/or Astrophysics Bachelor s degree course in a European country or a country bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Eligible students should be younger than 23 years old to the date of 20 th of July 2017. Priority will be given to younger applicants. Students who were already awarded participation in any previous edition of the project cannot apply again. Interested students must send, under penalty of exclusion, the
procedure following documentation: i) the attached form filled out as required; ii) iii) iv) Curriculum Vitae et Studiorum; Certificate of enrollment from the host University in a Physics and/or Astrophysics Bachelor s degree course over the academic year 2016/2017; a cover letter of max 250 words describing their motivations for participating in the project L Astrofisica su Mediterranea v) copy of identification card. Guidelines Application Students interested in taking part in the selection process should send the required documentation, including the attached participation form completely filled out, via e-mail to: mediterranea@oa-roma.inaf.it. The deadline for application is the 20 th of July 2017. Any application sent after the deadline will be excluded from the selection process. Selection board All the documentation will be submitted to a selection board made of two INAF researchers and a representative of Progetto Mediterranea. The selection board will take into account gender balance as far as possible, without prejudice to merit. All applications fulfilling prerequisites will be examined by the selection board after the deadline. The board will evaluate the documentation and select five students by irrevocable decision. Selected students Selected students will have the opportunity to take part in the project L Astrofisica su Mediterranea. They will be notified by the end of July 2017. This year the port of departure will be Favignana (Sicily) on September 3 rd, with return on September 10 th to the port of Trapani (Sicily). During the week, Mediterranea will be sailing around the Egadi Islands, and it will be stopping in natural harbors and ports. All the staying (board and lodging) expenses on Mediterranea will be covered by the project L Astrofisica su Mediterranea. The selected students are in charge of their own transportation. Further information The competition will be published on the website www.oa-roma.inaf.it, where it will be possible to download a copy of the present announcement, of the participation form, and of the release for the use of personal data. For further information, students can send an e-mail to mediterranea@oa-roma.inaf.it. Fulfillment and guarantee A notification email will be sent once the application has been received. Organizers do not take
responsibility for applications arriving after the deadline due to electronic mistakes. Applicants should make sure their application has been received. Processing of personal data and use of the material submitted The documentation sent by applicant will not returned to him/her. Participants rights and responsibilities The participant declares to own the rights of the original documents sent and that he/she authorizes INAF and Progetto Mediterranea to use and publish them only for promotional but non-profit scope, as long as the name of the author is made known. Processing of personal data In accordance with the law D. Lgs. 196/03, all personal data will be used only for the purposes of the present competition. The collected data won t, under any circumstances, be shared with others for purposes different than the present competition. To take part in the competition L Astrofisica su Mediterranea, the participant accepts all regulations included in the present announcement. Here-below the planned boat route. Departure from Favignana on the 3 rd of September and arrival to Trapani on the 10 th of September 2017.
L Astrofisica su Mediterranea participation form DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: 20.07.2017 The undersigned... born in... on... resident in... (...), (address).. no... postal code... tel..../... mobile.e-mail:... REQUESTS to take part in the project L Astrofisica su Mediterranea during the week from the 3 rd of September to the 10 th of September 2017, with departure from Favignana and arrival to Trapani (Sicily). The undersigned states under his/her responsibility: 1. that he/she is enrolled in a Physics and/or Astrophysics Bachelor s degree course over the academic year 2016/2017. 2. that he/she has taken the following exams within the aforementioned Bachelor s degree course with the following marks: FURTHER DECLARES In accordance with the law D. Lgs. 196/2003 and subsequent modification, to be fully informed on the way his/her personal data, reported in this form, will be treated and authorizes the use of such data, also through automated information system. The undersigned further declares to have read and to fully accept the guidelines of the Competition L Astrofisica su Mediterranea Place and Date. Signature